Did Tom Brady cause Matt Ryan to choose CBS over Fox?

There's more information about why free-agent quarterback Matt Ryan joined CBS Sports as an NFL analyst this offseason. 

"Ryan chose CBS over Fox Sports to start his analyst career, according to sources, taking the Greg Olsen path," New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand explained Monday. "Ryan hasn’t totally committed to not playing again, but, by going with CBS, Ryan will be able to see if he likes doing games or being in studio better." 

Ryan endured a rather lackluster 2022 season with the Indianapolis Colts and was officially released in March. The 38-year-old went unsigned until it was learned last week that he intends on serving as an in-game and studio analyst with CBS. When he's not calling contests, Ryan will appear on programs such as "The NFL Today." 

The Most Valuable Player for the 2016 season has insisted he isn't retired and also said he liked that CBS presented him with opportunities to work in broadcast booths and studios. However, it's also possible that Ryan went with CBS over Fox due to still-retired quarterback Tom Brady. 

In the spring of 2022, Brady put pen to paper on a 10-year, $375M deal to become the lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports. The 45-year-old is enjoying a so-called "gap year" away from the league and is on track to join Fox in 2024. Brady reportedly is looking into becoming a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but it seems that the organization, the NFL and Fox would have no problem with him calling games even if he has an existing relationship with a single team. 

"Fox was offering Ryan Sean Payton’s chair on its Sunday 11 a.m. pregame show," Marchand continued. Payton stepped down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints in January 2022 and spent the subsequent season working for Fox until he became the head coach of the Denver Broncos this winter. 

As for Ryan, he could potentially forfeit $12M in money the Colts still owe him for 2023 if he publicly retired. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio and others have indicated there's little chance the veteran will receive a call from any team this summer or fall.